The Beacon -Paul Lahote 2-

Chapter 29

Paul would not consider himself a patient person with anyone besides Mavis. When it came to her, he was the most patient person in the world. Whatever she needed, she got. It had always been that way. It seemed it always would be.

He was already late for patrol as it was. A few extra minutes wouldn't hurt. That's what he had been telling himself for the last hour. Still, he made no move to leave. He didn't want to leave. Paul watched the gentle rise and fall of his girlfriend's chest with every breath she took. The only time she looked peaceful was when she slept.

Paul couldn't pretend to understand what she was going through. In fact, he had no idea. Paul knew everything there was to know about Banshees. He had read nearly every article he could get his hands on. He wanted to understand who he was dating. He wanted to know how to help.

He actually started learning before they got together. Paul didn't want to like Mavis, but he was drawn to her. Banshees were new to him at the time. He wanted to learn everything he could about his Imprint. Unfortunately, Mavis was very different from the articles written.

That didn't bother him. He didn't care. He loved Mavis, every single part of her. Even the parts that terrified him. It was mainly because he didn't understand that he felt scared. Paul never did well with unknowns. He was the type of person that needed to know everything.

This was one of those times. He didn't know anything, and Paul hated that. Mavis had explained everything, but he didn't entirely understand. How does a person open a door in their mind? Why couldn't she just close it? What made her feel darker? What was different this time?

Paul tried not to think about what she was going through. It must be torturous to constantly hear voices. To never get a moment of peace. It made him feel awful on the inside. He didn't like feeling powerless. He wanted to protect Mavis from everything, but he couldn't protect her from her own mind.

Beside him on the table, his phone chimed again. It wouldn't be long before Sam or one of the others showed up and demanded he leave for patrol. Paul took one last look at his sleeping girlfriend. He raised his hand to gently brush the hair out of her face. It was pouring rain. The raindrops thumped against the window. It was rhythmic. 

Mavis stirred slightly but showed no signs of waking up. Paul smiled to himself and carefully slipped out of bed. He found some comfort knowing what would be waiting for him when he returned home.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Paul's leg was bouncing as he sat on the couch. The others around him were engaged in conversation, but his mind kept wandering back to his girlfriend. She was suffering, and there was nothing he could do about it.

It was still unclear what was coming. Mavis seemed positive something was, which was why she was trying to fight the voices and pretend they weren't there. He feared she might be right. 

Maybe she was sensing her own death. The Voturi had given the Cullens a choice. Either way, Mavis's heart stops beating. Paul shook away the thoughts, but they crept back up on him. The idea of losing her made him sick. He felt physically ill at the idea of anything happening to Mavis.

"Man," Embry slapped his shoulder. "Quit thinking all that. It's driving me crazy."

"Sorry," he muttered.

"Mavis is going to be fine." Leah sat at the table. "Don't worry." She couldn't afford to think anything different. Mavis was her best friend. She was going to be fine. She is fine.

"You don't know that-"

"What I do know is that you're driving the rest of us crazy." Jared joined the conversation. "I can't even hear my own thoughts. Just your self-loathing and insecurities."

Paul glared at him. "They're not self-loathing."

"Whatever, man. It's driving me crazy. Mavis is going to be fine. She's a literal Banshee. She will always be surrounded by death."

"You don't get it." This was different. Mavis had never behaved this way about something before. She was terrified. So terrified she'd rather die.

"What don't I get? Hm? Tell me."

Paul stood up. The force threw the couch into the wall. "Enough," Sam snapped before they engaged in a fight. "Knock it off before you break something." They continued to glare at each other. Sam didn't want to see Paul get angry inside Emily's home. "Paul, go home."

"Fine." He didn't want to stay anyway. All he wanted was to go home and sleep away his worries beside his girlfriend. "Whatever." The rest of them were silent as he marched towards the door. Paul grabbed the door handle and whipped open the door. The instant he did, he froze. Standing in front of was Mavis. She was dripping wet, her hair flat against her head. "Mavis?" The rest of the group was just as surprised to see the girl standing on Emily's front porch. Mavis slowly lifted her head. There was a distant look in her eyes, almost as if she was asleep.

There was a silence as they all tried to figure out why the girl was there. Paul was prepared to question her when she opened her mouth. Mavis screamed loudly. Everyone in the room winced, most covering their ears. It was painful, shattering the glass pitcher that was on the table. Everything inside of Mavis's mind cleared. She could hear clearly now. The voices faded, but she now knew what was coming.

As the scream faded from her throat, her legs gave out. Luckily, Paul was directly in front of her. He caught her, slowly lifting her back up. "Are you okay? Mavis?"

Leah shook her head. There was a horrible ringing in her left ear. Some of the others were experiencing the same problem. They had never been this close to Mavis when she screamed before. It was painful.

"Ouch," Jared muttered. Leah glared at him.

"Mavis," Paul placed a hand on her cheek. The haze in her eyes began to fade. The blonde girl blinked a few times. It was taking her a moment to comprehend the situation. "Hey, you're okay. You're fine. You're going to be okay." Mavis stared at him, tears filling her blue eyes. "You're going to be okay."

"But you're not." She had seen who was going to die. It wasn't just Paul. It was all of them.